Attaching multiple phone lines to a single mobile or landline phone

Abstract

Agencies issue multiple devices to personnel for maintaining distinct identities over the course of assigned investigations. To provide flexible capabilities to agencies, a phone is converted for use with multiple attached telephone numbers. Accordingly, a single phone may be used to manage multiple identities over the course of one or more investigations. Using a multiple attached number, a given device can place and receive calls over the network to and from contacts. In addition to providing multiple attached numbers, calls using the multiple attached numbers may be monitored live and recorded to establish evidence.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A computer based method comprising:
 associating device information corresponding to an operator device with a plurality of virtual numbers in a mapping table, the plurality of virtual numbers each having a respective corresponding contact device indicated in the mapping table; 
 receiving message information in response to communication of a message from a telephonic device to a virtual number of the plurality of virtual numbers, the message information including device information corresponding to the telephonic device and the virtual number; 
 identifying the telephonic device as the operator device or a contact device based on the message information and the device information corresponding to the operator device stored in association with the plurality of virtual numbers in the mapping table; and 
 in response to identifying the telephonic device:
 where the telephonic device is identified as the contact device, transmitting instructions for transmitting the message received from the contact device to the operator device from the virtual number based on the mapping table indicating that the virtual number corresponds to the contact device; or 
 where the telephonic device is identified as the operator device, identifying, based on the mapping table, recipient device information corresponding to the contact device within the message information and transmitting instructions for transmitting the message received from the operator device to the contact device from the virtual number. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 provisioning the virtual number with a virtual number provider; and 
 configuring the virtual number with number information operable on a public switched telephony network, wherein the message information identifying the virtual number comprises the number information configured for the virtual number and the request from the telephonic device to communicate the message to the virtual number is a message transmitted on a short messaging service. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein identifying the telephonic device as the contact device based on the message information comprises analyzing a formatting of message content of the message, the formatting of the message content not indicating recipient device information of a telephonic device in an accepted format. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3 , wherein the recipient device information is a transmitting number of a telephonic device. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein identifying the telephonic device as the operator device based on the message information comprises analyzing a formatting of message content of the message, the formatting of the message content indicating recipient device information corresponding to the contact device in an accepted format. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5 , wherein the formatting of the message content indicating recipient device information corresponding to the contact device in an accepted format comprises at least one of appended or prepended recipient device information in the message content. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , wherein the recipient device information corresponding to the contact device is a transmitting number of the contact device. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, where the telephonic device is identified as the contact device, appending a transmitting number of the contact device to the message. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, where the telephonic device is identified as the operator device, parsing out the identified recipient device information corresponding to the contact device from the message information. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , wherein identifying the telephonic device as the operator device based on the message information comprises analyzing a formatting of message content of the message, the formatting of the message content indicating recipient device information corresponding to the contact device in an accepted format, the parsing out of the identified recipient device information comprising parsing out the portion of the message content indicating recipient device information corresponding to the contact device in the accepted format. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing a module to the operator device for interfacing with features of the operator device and performing:
 a step for obtaining the recipient device information corresponding to the contact device and the virtual number mapped to the operator device; and 
 a step for attaching the recipient device information corresponding to the contact device in one or more messages communicated to the virtual number. 
 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11 , wherein the recipient device information corresponding to the contact device is attached in a predetermined format for identification as the operating device associated with the virtual number. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 1 , wherein identifying the telephonic device as the contact device based on the message information comprises comparing the device information of the telephonic device from the message information with the device information of the operator device stored in association with the virtual number in the mapping table, the telephonic device identified as the contact device based on a lack of a match between the device information of the telephonic device and the device information of the operator device. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the device information corresponding to the telephonic device comprises a transmitting number of the telephonic device operable on a public switched telephony network. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 1 , wherein identifying the telephonic device as the operator device based on the message information comprises comparing the device information of the telephonic device from the message information with the device information of the operator device stored in association with the virtual number in the mapping table, the telephonic device identified as the operator device based on a match between the device information of the telephonic device and the device information of the operator device. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15 , wherein the device information corresponding to the telephonic device comprises a transmitting number of the telephonic device operable on a public switched telephony network. 
     
     
       17. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising executable computer program instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform operations to:
 associate device information corresponding to an operator device with a plurality of virtual numbers in a mapping table, the plurality of virtual numbers each having a respective corresponding contact device indicated in the mapping table; 
 receive message information in response to communication of a message from a telephonic device to a virtual number of the plurality of virtual numbers, the message information including device information corresponding to the telephonic device and the virtual number; 
 identify the telephonic device as the operator device or a contact device based on the message information and the device information corresponding to the operator device stored in association with the plurality of virtual numbers in the mapping table; and 
 responsive to identifying the telephonic device:
 where the telephonic device is identified as the contact device, transmit instructions for transmitting the message received from the contact device to the operator device from the virtual number based on the mapping table indicating that the virtual number corresponds to the contact device; or 
 where the telephonic device is identified as the operator device, identify, based on the mapping table, recipient device information corresponding to the contact device within the message information and transmit instructions for transmitting the message received from the operator device to the contact device from the virtual number. 
 
 
     
     
       18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 17 , wherein identifying the telephonic device as the contact device based on the message information comprises analyzing a formatting of message content of the message, the formatting of the message content not indicating recipient device information of a telephonic device in an accepted format. 
     
     
       19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 17 , wherein identifying the telephonic device as the operator device based on the message information comprises analyzing a formatting of message content of the message, the formatting of the message content indicating recipient device information corresponding to the contact device in an accepted format. 
     
     
       20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 19 , wherein the formatting of the message content indicating recipient device information corresponding to the contact device in an accepted format comprises at least one of appended or prepended recipient device information in the message content.